The differentiating factor between khamr and non-khamr ethanol from a Shar’iy Juristic perspective is that the former is both Najis and Haraam whereas the latter is not Najis however deemed Haraam in intoxicant applications.
In general the areas of concern in determining acceptability of the usage of ethanol/alcohol are:
- Source of the ethanol {will only be considered taahir if from sources other than grapes and dates (Khamr-Asli)
- Application ( will not be acceptable as in intoxicating applications such as in liquor/alcoholic beverages)
- Percentage in final product – Ethanol which constitutes less than 0.5% of the final product may be overlooked. Any level above 0.5% is not acceptable.
An example would be a soft drink beverage which contains flavouring in which ethanol is an ingredient. Although the ethanol is a major part of the flavouring solution and constitutes a high percentage of the flavouring, when the flavouring is added as an ingredient to the soft drink beverage, the ethanol percentage in the final soft drink product is miniscule, way below the 0.5% limit.
And Allah Knows Best
Reference : https://x.com/SANHA_Halaal/status/1270688680559116289?s=20
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[Note from AskHalal] This discussion is only about usage of non-khamr alcohol which is used in smaller quantities or such that it will be completely evaporated in baking etc. If non-khamr alcohol is used in the product as an active ingredient, then these rules will not apply and an alternative product must be sought.